


Hyacinth

by Space_Freckles



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Don't question it, Everyone is third years now, F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Kuwata Leon says Stupid, Let Sayaka be a part of the Squad, Let her be chaotic, M/M, Mondo is bad at feelings, Naegi is dating like 5 people, Owada Mondo Swears, as a treat, hehe flower time, it's MY Hanahaki universe I get to choose the rules, title from flower meanings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:06:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_Freckles/pseuds/Space_Freckles
Summary: It’s Hanahaki season yet again at Hope’s Peak Academy, and Leon is getting pretty fucking sick and tired of the blue petals he’s been hacking up since entering Hope’s Peak. All his classmates must either be lucky bastards or emotionless pricks, because as far as Leon is aware, he’s always been the only one dealing with this stupid flower disease. So, you could imagine his surprise when he found The Mondo Oowada puking up red petals in the boy’s bathroom at 2am on a Thursday morning.
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Ikusaba Mukuro/Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kuwata Leon & Oowada Mondo, Kuwata Leon & Oowada Mondo & Ishimaru Kiyotaka & Fujisaki Chihiro & Maizono Sayaka, Kuwata Leon/Maizono Sayaka, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Naegi Makoto/Enoshima Junko (one-sided), Naegi Makoto/Maizono Sayaka (past), Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 29
Kudos: 212





	1. Carolina Rose

Hope’s Peak Academy, third year dorms. Gentle and quiet, the hopes of the future lay in rest. Serene and still, the peace is disturbed by a door creaking open. Gently yet confidently, SHSL Baseball Pro/Rockstar Leon Kuwata steps into the hall, quietly closing the door behind him. 

What wasn’t quiet, though, was the fit of coughing that momentarily took him over, his soft orangey-red hair and sturdy frame shaking from the force of the attack. He slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the noise, and he screwed his eyes shut in discomfort. The hand was a force of habit now, he knew no one would be able to hear him, the soundproof dorms assuring his secrecy. 

Once the coughing passed, he pulled his hand away. Nestled there in his palm were three delicate blue petals. And a single drop of blood, the typical sign of a nearing Spring for Leon. 

“Tsk... Stupid...” Leon snarled insult at the petals under his breath and crammed them into his pocket - them joining all the other petals he hacked up throughout the previous day, starting his long trek to the boy’s bathroom on the other side of the school. 

Leon knew the dorms were soundproof, as opposed to the echoey solitude of a bathroom at 2:05 in the morning, but if he were sloppy and left petals behind in his personal bathroom, what’s to stop the next bastard on cleaning duty to start poking around and finds one of the little blue curses? Then, what if they put two and two together, and figured him out, forcing him to actually take care of his problem? He’s been dealing with it very well so far, thank you very much. If he leaves petal behinds in a public bathroom, then he could at least blame it on some poor first-year. 

That’s why Leon now glances over his shoulder for the Guard Dog of a classmate, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, ready to bite him in the ass for breaking curfew. Well, it’s been two years and he hasn’t caught him yet, so Leon’s luck streak continues. 

As Leon continues his lonely march down the winding halls of Hope’s Peak Academy, he can feel the tingling tightness in his chest grow. In frustration, he pressed his lips together. His stupid suppressants should’ve dealt with the skinny stems forming in his lungs, but it looks like this Hanahaki season is going to be one difficult son of a bitch. 

Aggressively clearing his throat once, twice, three times, Leon made it to the isolated bathroom at the very end of a long, cold hallway. For the past two years, Leon is the only person he knows of that uses this bathroom. He found it around winter of his first year and had been using it as his secret sanctuary ever since. 

Yawning, he ran a hand through his messy hair and pushed the door open. He took maybe eight steps into the bathroom when he noticed it. 

The lights were already on when he walked in. 

Leon froze in the center of the tiled floor, hand still tangled in his hair. The lights in all Hope’s Peaks bathrooms are automatic, turning on whenever someone entered the room, only turning off when they left. So, whatever illusion of safety and secrecy Leon lived in before this moment, some other fool also lived in that delusion. For a heart-stopping second, Leon thought his mystery companion may have known where he was going and came here to intercept him, but the lack of anyone leaving one of the stalls to confront him proved him wrong. Whoever was here first must not know he’s here. 

His quiet, shallow breathes were doing nothing to help the botanical situation going on in his lungs, and Leon knew it was only a matter of time before his next coughing fit came. He stood there, starting to shake from the effort of keeping his coughs down, but he’d be damned if he let his presence be revealed before he was ready. 

Luckily – or perhaps not – before Leon’s resolve broke, he heard puking and hacking coming from the furthest stall from the door. The shock of the moment must’ve somehow distracted Leon from coughing because he found himself frozen as the gross sounds echoed throughout the brightly lit room. 

So, there he stood, eyes wide and hand resting on his head as he listened to the hacking lessen and eventually fade, finalized by the toilet flushing. Even as he heard his unwilling companion grunt and lift themselves to their feet, he didn’t move. 

What finally spurred him back into movement was the emergence of a face all too familiar as Mondo Oowada trudged out of the bathroom stall, eyes shut tight, his hand combing through his hair – lost of its signature pompadour. 

Leon’s hand silently fell back into place near his hip, and his mouth dropped open as his eyes widened further. Mondo must’ve not noticed him, because he continued his path towards the sink and mirror directly across from the stall he just left. He hunched over the sink, bracing himself with his hands before opening his eyes as he looked into the mirror before him. 

For a second, his eyes were bleary, tired, and unfocused. There were growing dark circles under his eyes, and he looked genuinely beaten down. Slowly and shakily, he reached into his own sets of pockets, and pulled out a single red petal. Growling, Mondo crushed the petal in his hand, a gesture Leon himself had replicated many times before. 

But that was before his eyes flickered to the left and he finally noticed Leon standing there like a moron. 

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!” Mondo yelled in surprise, almost jumping out of his skin as he whipped around to face Leon. In his rapid turn, he almost fell over, just barely catching himself on the sink behind him. “KUWATA, WHAT THE FUCK!? DON’T FUCKING DO THAT, JESUS CHRIST!!” Mondo’s panicked – and raspy from his previous cough attack - voice boomed out in the tiled room, and Leon winced at the volume. 

“Heyyy, Mondo...” Leon awkwardly said, his hand twitching in a half-assed wave. 

For a moment, they stood. Well, Leon stood – Mondo remained in the half-standing half-falling position he was currently in. It was until Leon felt a scratching in his throat and cleared his throat when Mondo finally let himself fall to the floor. 

Groaning, Mondo leaned against the wall, his legs splayed out in front of him and eyes gently shut. The only sign of discomfort was a slight furrow of his eyebrows. Mondo then sighed; a bit too loud for it to be natural. Leon took it as a sign to sit down beside his friend, pulling his knees up to his chest, trying to ignore the pressure in his chest. 

Mondo didn’t open his eyes. “... how much of that did you hear...?” His voice was uncharacteristically quiet and gentle, and Leon was almost taken aback by the softness of his tone. 

“U-uh... just the last major fit.” Leon stuttered out, just as quiet as Mondo. 

“And... and did you see the...” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I did...” 

Sighing in defeat, Mondo pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes, his legs drawing up closer to his body, mirroring Leon’s current pose. Leon kept his mouth shut for only a few seconds before croaking out his next question. 

“Does anyone else know...?” 

Mondo’s eyes shot open in a panic and he jolted into a rigid and upright position. 

“NO!! And you better not fucking tell anyone, neither!!” He jammed a finger into Leon’s chest, face contorted into a look of panic and aggression. 

“I won’t, I won’t, I promise!” Leon’s voice was just as panicked and shaky, his promise echoing around the bathroom. Mondo’s face softened, yet darkened, and he leaned back into his own space. After two years, Leon was aware of how much Mondo valued promises. 

“Fuckin’ good...” He grumbled and crossed his arms but didn’t move from his spot on the floor. 

“Besides, I got it, too, so... No snitching from me.” Leon mumbled under his breath. He honestly intended for it to be a joke, but the way Mondo practically snaps his neck to look at him, Leon reconsiders. 

“Wait, what? Really?” Mondo sounded so sincere; it wasn’t like Leon couldn’t say anything. 

“Yeah... since first year. What about you?” Leon shrugged off his own answer as quickly as he can, trying to turn the conversation back around to Mondo. 

Mondo was dead quiet, the only sign of life his steady breathing and his eyes flicking around. “Huh... well, fuck, dude. I’ve only had it for... I dunno, two days?” Mondo half-heartedly shrugged, then stared Leon down again. “But seriously?? Two – no almost three years?? Who the hell did this to you??” 

Leon glared and drew his shoulders up defensively. “Oh, hell no, man. You ain’t telling’ me, I ain’t telling’ you.” Mondo only squinted his eyes, before leaning back and huffing out a little puff of disappointed air. But that innocent huff evolved into a full-blown coughing fit, his body quaking and spasming, hands clapped tightly over his mouth. Leon sat there and rubbed his friend’s back until the coughing secedes. Once the storm passes, Mondo weakly slumps back against the wall – almost crushing Leon’s hand in the process – and lowers his hands from his face. 

In his hands is a perfect medium sized red flower. Luckily, no blood this time. The two boys sat there, staring at the offending flora until Mondo crushed it in his hands. 

“Is it...” Mondo’s eyes were shut in pain. His voice was small and quiet. For a moment, Leon could easily imagine what a child Mondo after a nightmare would’ve sounded like. “Is it always going to be this bad...?” 

“Nah. You were just the unlucky sap who got it right when Hanahaki season starts.” Leon patted Mondo on the back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “Besides, I’ve already lived through two, so I can give you some tips.” In a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, Leon grinned a cocky grin and jabbed his thumb at himself. 

Apparently, Leon’s shitty efforts succeeded, and Mondo smirked, letting a small chuckle escape. 

“Fuckin’ moron...” Mondo huffed and stood, quickly walking into a bathroom stall and – what Leon can assume – flushes the flower down the toilet. Before the sound of rushing water ends, Mondo has already left the stall and pulled Leon to his feet. “C’mon, asshole, let’s get going.” 

“Huh?” 

“You forgot already? Classic Leon.” Mondo feigned an over-dramatic sigh of disappointment and headed for the door back into the hallway. “You said you’d give me tips, I’m tired as shit, and it’s a long way back. We’ll walk and talk.” His barefooted steps make a dull thud as he walks across the cold white tiles, and he opens the door almost silently. He steps through without a second glance at Leon. 

Leon stands in the lonely, white bathroom at the end of a lonely hallway, and the lights flicker. 

“Hey! If you want tips, then wait up, Stupid!” Leon barked, and dashed out the door after his friend. The door shuts behind him, and the lights turn off. 

“Okay!” Leon caught up to Mondo and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Mondo only spared him a sideways glance before returning his attention to the path in front of them. “First things first! How much do you know about our situation here?” Leon spoke rushed and almost energetically. 

“Eh... not much? I know the basic shit - same everyone else knows, like, it’s caused when you have intense feelings for someone, and it makes flowers grow in your lungs,” Mondo nervously rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flicking around as he scoured for any memories he has of The Flower Disease, “Oh, and I remember Kyodai goes apeshit around Spring – Hanahaki season, or something? By the way, how the fuck did you keep this shit from Kyodai for so long? You hang out with us, like, all the goddamn time.” Mondo dropped his arm in favor of pointing a non-accusatory finger at Leon, and he didn’t seem all that mad about the secrecy. 

“A lot of planning and strategic forethought, my friend. But!” Leon clapped Mondo on the back twice, “You don’t gotta worry about that, because that’s what I’m here for! Alright, let’s get you up on track, first!” Leon determinately spoke, and removed his hand from Mondo’s back, clapping his fist into an open palm. Leon took a deep breath, prepping for a long rant to educate his friend about the botanical blasphemy he’d gotten himself into. 

And immediately fell into a coughing fit that almost brought him to his knees. Luckily, Mondo was there to catch him before his knees collided with the floor. With one hand gripping Mondo’s arm with a vise-like grip, and the other clutching his own throat, Leon shook with the force of each hack and choke. It took almost three minutes for the coughing to finally come to an abrupt stop, punctuating with Leon hacking up three sizable blue flowers, each of which were speckled with crimson blood. 

“What the hell, man!?” Mondo berated Leon as he wiped his mouth, shakily straightening up, “I thought you said it wasn’t always that bad!” 

“It’s not.” Leon croaked out, gently scooping up the flowers and crumpling them up in his hand. He’s silent for a second, glowering at his clenched fist. “It’s just my stupid suppressants wore off for the night. Speaking of which, we have to get you some, ‘specially with Spring coming up.” 

“Suppressants? You mean some sort of pill I take to make the flowers go away?” Mondo questioned as Leon took a few strides to make it to the end of the hall, where a single trashcan sat, and deposited the flowers. 

Leon started to dig into his pockets for the petals he crammed in there earlier. “Yeah, pretty much. Take one every couple hours, and you’re flower upheaval take will go down significantly.” Patting himself down, Leon turned back around to face Mondo as he caught up. “Pretty much any pharmacy sells ‘em, so we can go get you some after school. I also need to get a refill, so it all works out.” 

“Eh...” Mondo grimaces, “Kyodais’ tutoring me tomorrow.” 

“That’s fine, we’ll just go after.” Leon shrugged, then not a moment later, snapped his fingers like he remembered something and turned to Mondo, “Oh shit – you're gonna need an alibi.” 

“An alibi? What the fuck are we, murders?” Mondo taunted, rolling his eyes. The boys were back to walking through Hope’s Peak halls. 

“Well, you’re gonna need a stupid good reason to ditch your boyfriend and leave school with me without it being suspicious,” Leon flatly spoke, pretending to not notice as Mondo’s steps stutters and he starts to sputter, “I’m lucky; I have two years' worth of developed excuses to sprint off to the bathroom whenever need-be under my belt. You know my lactose-intolerance and seasonal allergies?” 

Mondo over-aggressively clears his throat, “U-uh yeah? What about ‘em?” 

“Don’t exist.” Leon said, smirking as he noticed Mondo gawk at him from the corner of his eye, “But nobody questions it because I’ve had this stupid disease pretty much since I came to this school, and those have always been a part of my made-up identity.” Leon spins on his heel and presses his finger into Mondo’s chest, stopping him in his tracks, “But you don’t have that privilege. You can’t just come out of nowhere with lactose-intolerance or allergies no one has ever heard you mention before, and since you and Ishimaru are practically attached at the hip, he’ll definitely know somethings’ up. We’ll have to get creative.” 

“We’re not fuckin’ attached at the hip...” Mondo growled under his breath, swatting Leon’s hand away, prompting him to roll his eyes – unimpressed, “But I get what you’re saying.” The two of them stood there in silence for a heartbeat. “What if we tell him that we’re getting dinner at some fast-food place – fuckin' McDonalds or something, I don’t care. Sure, he’ll probably lecture us before we go, but he won’t wanna tag along. That should work for tomorrow, right?” 

Leon grinned. “Look at you go, you walking-talking Ishimaru encyclopedia! That should work just fine.” Leon teased as he turned to continue walking, hearing Mondo shout in defiance behind him. 

In almost no time, the boys had made it back to the dorms. After creeping very quietly (and very unnecessarily) past Ishimaru’s door, the pair stopped in front of Mondo’s. Right as Mondo opened the door, Leon interjected with a comment. 

“Oh - be ready for a bit of a walk tomorrow. I don’t wanna risk bumping into anyone from school when picking up suppressants, so I go a bit further out of the way. It’s about a thirty-minute walk or so – we can even pick up some food, like you said.” Leon lectured, then paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He clapped his hands together before talking rapid-fire. “Okay, final tips. Tomorrow, say you caught a bit of a cold, and start carrying napkins around. You’ll learn to cough quietly soon enough, trust me. Always know where the nearest and emptiest bathroom is and avoid Kirigiri. That girl is a fucking bloodhound, I swear to god. I feel like she and Touko have been suspecting me of having Hanahaki for a while, and I don’t want them jumping on you. And try to not act too weird around Junko, she’s vicious. If you need to distract them, bring up Makoto or Byakuya. Works like a charm. Got all that?” 

“Uh... yup!” Mondo grinned and gave Leon a thumbs up. 

Mondo definitely did not get all that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really enjoying writing this, but I dunno if you guys want me to continue, so Kudos or Comment if you want me to continue!! (I'll probably continue it either way)
> 
> Next Chapter Name: Alstroemeria  
> EDIT: So chapter two is ending up A LOT longer than I expected, so I'll be splitting it into two parts. So that means I'll also be changing the next chapter name from "Red Windflowers" to "Alstroemeria". So, the next NEXT chapter will be named "Red Windflower".


	2. Alstroemeria

After a “truly wonderful” four and a half hours of sleep – periodically and frequently interrupted by intense coughing fits – it’s now 7:00 and Leon better get moving if he wants to eat breakfast and get to class in time. Normally, Leon would bust his ass to get to the cafeteria and classroom as early as possible – even earlier than Ishimaru if he gets lucky – but last night threw him off, and now he has to deal with the brunt force of his classmates. After changing into his usual clothes, downing a suppressant (cramming the container in his pocket afterwards) and running a comb through his hair (he may look like shit, but he can at least look like presentable shit), Leon bolts out his dorm-room door and down the hall as quick as he can without it being considered running.  
But it appears he wasn’t quick enough.  
  
“Leon, hey!” Asahina called from behind him, and Leon grimaced, face relaxing right as Asahina and her girlfriend of a year Sakura caught up to him, “Glad we caught ya! Going to breakfast? Woah, no offense man, but you look like crap.” Asahina taunted.  
  
Luckily, Leon expected this. “Haha, yeah. I stayed up a bit too late to catch a game in America.” Leon grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, falling into stride alongside his classmates, lies flowing from his mouth as naturally as water flows down a river.  
  
Sakura good-naturedly clicked her tongue. “You know what Ishimaru will say about that…”  
  
“And that’s why we’re not gonna tell him.” Leon joked, winking up at Sakura, earning a grin and eye-roll from Sakura and a laughter from Asahina.  
“What’re you going to get to eat, Leon? I rarely ever get to see you at breakfast anymore…” Asahina questioned. Leon drew in a sharp breath through his nose, silently scrabbling for an answer. Unfortunately, that sharp breath only elicited a small coughing fit from Leon.  
  
“Sorry, sorry *cough cough* Swallowed my own spit- *cough cough*” Leon was able to choke out between coughs. He waved the two to look away, hurriedly using the hand he was covering his mouth with (napkin included) to stuff two petals into his pocket.  
  
Asahina sadly shook her head, not noticing him cram his hand into his pocket. “Tragic…” Her mood immediately turned, “Do you guys know what I’ve been craving alllll day!?” She looked expectantly at Sakura and Leon; whose coughing had just subsided.  
  
“Donuts?” Sakura and Leon deadpanned together, their classmate’s donut addiction a well-known fact of life by now.  
  
“That’s right!” Asahina laughed, “But not just any donuts! I’ve really been wanting a cinnamon one with vanilla frosting and…”  
  
Leon tuned Asahina out with a smile and an eyeroll, and as she continued her pastry-centered rant, the trio made their way to the cafeteria. Once they entered, Leon separated from the girls with a wave, them heading towards the kitchen and Leon towards the table he sat at with his friends; Chihiro, Ishimaru, Sayaka, and Mondo. Mondo had beaten him there, and Leon wanted to keep an eye on him. Once he’d arrived, he cleared his throat to announce his presence (and maybe force a petal or two back down his throat, but no one needed to know that.)  
  
“Leon!” Sayaka and Chihiro cheered as he sat down. Mondo attempted to cheer too, but he had just taken a bite of omelet and it ended up sounding more like ‘Weeohn!’, which prompted a quick scolding from Ishimaru about ‘talking with your mouth full’.  
  
“Good morning, Rockstar!” Sayaka beamed, gently hitting her fist against Leon’s shoulder, “Don’t you look well-rested!” She playfully jibed.  
  
“Mmhmm, yeah, thanks Ms. I-always-look-like-I’m-in-a-photoshoot.” Leon teased right back, stealing a slice of toast from Mondo’s plate in the process, “I stayed up to watch a game.”  
  
“Kuwata, you really should develop a healthier sleep schedule! If you normally wake up around this time, I suggest going to sleep by ten, at least!” Ishimaru advised.  
  
Chihiro piped up with an offer. “Do you want me to develop something that’ll let you record the games? Then you’ll be able to watch them later.”  
  
Leon hummed and took a bite of his stolen toast. “You know, I might just take you up on that offer.”  
  
He knows he won’t.  
  
“Well, at least there’s one person here you look better than,” Sayaka playfully jested, motioning in Mondo’s direction. Leon noticed him stiffen up. “Poor Mondo over here got a cold, and said he was up all-night coughing. Even forgot to do his hair, he was so tired. Tsk tsk tsk…”  
  
Leon let out a miniscule sigh of relief. Good, they believed him.  
  
“I tried to tell him to go to the infirmary or stay in his room and rest, but he says ‘it’s just a cough’ and ‘he’ll be fine’” Ishimaru grumbled (complete with air quotes), shooting an exasperated glare at Mondo, who responded by crossing his arms and glaring right back.  
  
“I said I’m fuckin’ fine! Have I even coughed once since I’ve been here? No!”  
  
“Well, yes, right, but the stress of school could prolong your cough or make it worse-!”  
  
“Oh, lay off, Ishimaru!” Leon interrupted, smacking his palm against the table five times to get the two’s attention, “If Mondo says he’s fine, then he’s fine! Don’t be so pissy, god…” Leon really didn’t mean to be so harsh towards Ishimaru – he knows he means well – but he couldn’t watch Mondo get grilled any longer about a lie Leon told him to tell.  
  
“I’m just looking after your well-being…” Ishimaru defended himself, arms crossed, cheeks dusted pink, and tears pricking in the corner of his eyes. The five of them sat there quietly for a moment, but this was nothing new. Leon and Ishimaru usually came to blows over little things – almost like Mondo and Ishimaru before their sauna contest. Sayaka and Chihiro tend to stay out of the way unless things get really ugly. And just like normal, Mondo ended up consoling Ishimaru.  
  
“Sigh… listen, Kyodai, we’re fine, really. But we should get more sleep.” Mondo punctuated that sentence with a look at Leon, who just rolled his eyes in response, “So we’ll go to bed earlier tonight, right Leon?”  
  
Leon scoffed, not looking at either Mondo or Ishimaru – prompting to stare across the cafeteria – but nodded his head in agreement.  
  
Ishimaru sighed. “Thank you, Kyodai…” He was quiet for a second before determinately looking at Leon, “Leon, you should eat more than Kyodai’s toast. I’ll go get you something.” He stood up from the table, as perfect and ramrod straight as ever, and marched off to the kitchen.  
  
The second he was out of earshot, Sayaka leaned over the table to grin at Mondo.  
  
“You two are so in love with each other.” She cackled as Mondo flushed and swatted at her head. He even made sure to take a swat at Chihiro and Leon, both of whom were giggling along with Sayaka.  
  
“You shut the hell up! You don’t fuckin’ know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Mondo hissed, glancing around the cafeteria, making sure no one heard Sayaka’s comment.  
  
“Of course, I do!” She smiled and leaned back in her seat, out of range of Mondo’s attacks. “I’m one of your closest friends! I see all the lovey-dovey couple things you do!” She grinned for a minute, thinking. “And I’m psychic.”  
  
“Uh huh, well, full offense, Maizono, but if I need psychic advice, I’d sooner go to Fukuawa – or, hell, Genocider Jack – than you.” Mondo huffed, taking another large bite of toast, scattering crumbs in the process.  
  
“You know you love me.” Sayaka quipped, flicking a toast crumb at Mondo’s face.  
  
“Mmmm.” Mondo hummed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Luckily for him, Ishimaru returned at that moment, holding a tray containing a fried egg, a glass of orange juice, a small cup of assorted fruits, and a single half-slice of toast.  
  
“Who loves Kyodai?” Ishimaru questioned, looking expectantly around the table as he set the tray down in front of Leon, ignoring as he slid the cup of fruit down to Chihiro. Mondo’s mouth was still full of toast, so Leon took this chance to lean in close to Sayaka and whisper in her ear.  
  
“Well, Ishimaru certainly does.”  
  
Leon bit the inside of his cheek and Sayaka slapped her hands over her mouth in futile attempts to stifle their laughter as Mondo almost choked on his toast and stood up too quickly for it to be natural. Whether his face was red from embarrassment or anger, Leon couldn’t tell.  
  
“I’M GOING TO CLASS NOW!” Mondo bellowed, causing the other students in tables near them to turn their heads.  
  
“Ah!” Ishimaru’s face brightened, “Excellent idea, Kyodai! I’ll join you!” The poor fool oblivious to Mondo’s clear discomfort.  
  
“Er- right!” Mondo faltered for only a blink of an eye. “C’mon, Kyodai! I’ll see you nerds later!” Mondo turned on his heel, shoved his hands into his pockets, and hurriedly strode out of the cafeteria. Ishimaru promptly trailed after him, yelling a ‘Do be punctual!’ over his shoulder. The two had fallen into stride next to each other right as they walked through the doorway and out of sight. Sayaka, Chihiro, and Leon sat in silence for a second, staring after the pair, before Sayaka smacked both her palms against the table.  
  
“THREE YEARS!! They’ve known each other for almost three years, have clearly been in love for AT LEAST half that time, and they still refuse to acknowledge it! It’s ridiculous!” She threw her hands up in frustration, and Chihiro nodded.  
  
“Ishimaru is all Oowada talks about when we’re at the gym, and he still expects us to not think they’re in love. He has too high expectations of us.” Chihiro grinned.  
  
As the two continued to talk about their oblivious friends, Leon only sat and listened, eating his egg. He’s never been overly interested in other people’s love lives (unless it directly impacts him), but even he has to agree it’s stupid how much Ishimaru and Mondo are obviously infatuated with each other. Although, with the recent developments of last night, Leon may have to rethink that.  
  
“Are we talking about how much Ishimaru and Oowada should definitely kiss?” Mukuro said, suddenly having appeared right behind Leon, causing him to almost fall out his seat. Coming up behind her was her girlfriend Kirigiri and their shared boyfriend Naegi. Noticing the approach of his lavender-haired classmate, Leon quickly polished off his egg and started to chug down his orange juice at nearly breakneck speeds. He really didn’t want to be around for her hyper-analysis of everyone and everything.  
  
“Oh, hey guys! Naegi, what do you think about the clear sexual tension between our two favorite idiots?” Sayaka smiled, turning around in her seat to face Naegi, and the five of them fell into conversation (well, Kirigiri wasn’t saying anything, but Leon could tell she was conversating in spirit).  
  
Seeing the way Sayaka brightened up when Naegi walked over and lingered near her seat, Leon was only further determined to get the hell out of this stupid cafeteria right now. Sayaka and Naegi dated for a while during their first year, breaking up sometime during the summer between first and second year. It was an amicable split, the two remaining friends, Sayaka even helping Naegi confess to Kirigiri and Mukuro. Still, seeing the two of them act so friendly with each other irks Leon to no end, but he tries to keep his mouth shut – it’s none of his business, how Sayaka chooses to interact with her ex.  
  
“Alright, that was a lovely breakfast with my friends, but I gotta jet,” Leon said, standing up, dusting off his non-dusty pants, and picking up his tray, “I’ll see you guys in class.” Chihiro waves at him, and Naegi tosses a quick ‘see ya then!’ after Leon as he walks out.  
  
Right as he stepped past the threshold of the cafeteria, Leon felt a tightening in his chest. Not even faltering in his steps, Leon turned to head towards the bathroom he visited last night. As the crowd – meager as it was – thinned the more Leon ventured into the depths of the school, Leon sped up more and more until he was alone and in a dead sprint. Considering the tightness of his chest and the constrictive feeling of his throat, the last thing Leon should be doing is sprinting right now, but he just had to make it to the bathroom before he collapsed – then his secret would be out, for sure.  
  
Luckily for him, he was able to throw open the door – the lights turning on right as he ran in – and dash into the first stall before falling to his knees. Coughing uncontrollably, Leon kneeled over the toilet and hacked up petals like how a cat would hack up a hairball. In the five minutes he spent quaking over the toilet, Leon’s sure he coughed up more petals than he did throughout the entirety of his last eight waking hours.  
  
Even with the suppressants he downed less than an hour ago, these stupid, stupid flowers still left Leon even more weak and tired than he already felt – and he still has a full day of school to get through. His arms and legs were shaking, he was slumped against the toilet. Inside of said toilet was a thin layering of blue petals, and just a bit too much blood for it to be considered healthy. And it’s only to get worse from here.  
  
Just like everyday for the past two years.  
  
And just like every other day, Leon flushed the toilet, splashed cold water on his face, and downed another suppressant. Bracing himself with his arms against the sink, Leon takes out his phone and checked the time. 7:52. He can’t bother to linger. One more once-over in the mirror, and he’s out the door.  
  
He’s able to make it to class by 7:58, avoiding Ishimaru’s wrath for the day. In fact, their dispute from earlier seems to be forgotten, Ishimaru greeting him with a small smile and a wave as Leon walked in the room. Leon waved back. Glancing around, Leon was pleased to find that he wasn’t the last one to arrive; Junko, Hagakure, Touko, and Togami all missing. But that was nothing new, so Leon let it slip from his mind as he settled into his seat. Junko, Togami, and Touko showed up right as the bell rung, officially starting class time – all three earning some hardcore side-eye from Ishimaru that Sayaka and Leon giggled over. Hagakure ran in the door in a panic almost ten minutes after class started, rambling on about some vision he got. While though a very interesting prediction on some first year that will attempt to out-gamble Celestia, it wasn’t enough of an excuse to get Hagakure out of a detention oh so very graciously gifted to him by Ishimaru.  
  
Class was just a blur of information Leon couldn’t bring himself to care about enough to pay attention to, but he’d just look at Chihiro or Sayaka’s notes later. No matter how much Ishimaru preached that paying attention in class and learning in a proper environment was essential to his school life, it wasn’t exactly what Leon came to Hope’s Peak for, now was it? He came here to hone his baseball skills (although it wasn’t needed) and become a Rockstar (although the school still refuses to acknowledge his interest in talent change), not listen to some old guy prattle on about trigonometry or whatever. If he wanted to learn about that, he could’ve enrolled in any other high school in Japan. Thankfully, it was only for a few hours.  
  
Hope’s Peak ran on a schedule that accommodated for both regular schooling and allowing the Ultimates to have time to develop their skills. From 8 to noon, everyone was sat down in classrooms and taught all the same boring crap every high school kid learns, and then from noon to 4, students were required to work on their talents (with a lunch break whenever they wanted during that time). First year, the school tried to force Leon to attend baseball practices during this time, but after a lot of fighting, he now only has to attend practice once a week for a few hours. It’s not like he needs it, anyways. He’d rather spend those four hours in the music hall, practicing guitar or getting vocal lessons from Sayaka. It was a much more productive – and more enjoyable - use of his time if you ask him.  
  
Speaking of which, after a four-hour long bore fest – which was thankfully devoid of coughing, Leon was up and out the door before anyone else. He had to make a quick stop at the bathroom.  
  
It was a painful reprise of the morning’s fit, the only major differences being there being more petals and blood, and it took Leon almost ten minutes to get himself to stop shaking and pick himself off the floor. Just another reason Leon hates class.  
  
The universe must’ve taken pity Leon, because by the time he arrived at the music hall, it was devoid of life. But that was exactly what Leon wanted.  
  
The song he was playing isn’t his usual choice of punk rock, but it worked for what he needed. Something solemn and had a good rhythm you could lose yourself in, and he needed to practice Bass more, so this more simplistic song worked out great. He ditched his well-worn jacket backstage; he tended to get really into the songs he plays, and he didn’t want to end up a sweating mess. With no proper band to play with, Leon set down his phone with the volume up to use a backing track, but he’s played this song so many times these past months, he didn’t need it. And if the lyrics applied more to Leon’s life than he was willing to admit, well then that was nobody’s business but his own.  
  
The first plucks of the bass rise into the air, and the muscle memory was already kicking in, letting Leon just feel the music.  
  
The lyrics came in, and Leon started off gentle and quiet – he knew he’d go harder when the time came, but now was not the time.  
  
The music started to kick up – pre chorus building, and his strums got more intense, his voice picked up, and his eyes closed.  
  
The climax came, and he was gone.  
  
He wouldn’t say he’s belting, per say, but hey, there’s no one around, so what’s the harm in letting his voice go strained, really feel what he’s singing and let it rip through his being like the worst Hanahaki attack? He knows his strumming - his whole body – may be moving too exaggeratedly, but when you feel something as strong as what he’s feeling right now, how else are you going to let it out if not physically? For Leon, this was the kind of song that forces you to look inside yourself, stare all the ugly and the hidden face on, and kicking it out with all the remorse and pain and resentment you can muster; you know it has to go, but it still hurts to face it.  
  
Barely more than two and a half minutes long, the song was over before Leon knew it. As the final note faded into silence – low and deep in the expansive music hall - Leon stood in the center of the stage, eyes shut, breathing slow and deep.  
  
From the way his heart stopped a beat when applause came out of nowhere from offstage, Leon was honestly surprised he wasn’t thrown into another Hanahaki attack.  
  
“Bravo, Leon! Bravo!” Sayaka whooped from just offstage, clapping enthusiastically, smiling brighter than the sun. And she was wearing his jacket.  
  
“Dammit- Maizono! WHY!?” Leon ran his hand down his face, before whipping around to head offstage, trying to not look at Sayaka. His face was already red enough.  
  
“You were so good! What was I gonna do, NOT applaud you?” She giggled, trailing after him as he walked over to the Bass’s case, swinging the strap up and over his head.  
  
“You could’ve given me some warning…” Leon grumbled as he packed the bass away, “When you’d get here? And why are you wearing my jacket?” He turned back around to stare her in the eyes, arms crossed, but no malice found in his tone. He was just praying to whatever God may be out there that she didn’t notice the light dusting of pink on his cheeks and traveling down his neck.  
  
“Oh, I lost my phone, and Kirigiri is helping me look for it!” Sayaka said, looking and waving over her shoulder to Kirigiri, who was further backstage – and who Leon just remembered existed. She turned back to face him, small smile on her face. “And I got chilly, and your jacket was just laying over there, so I slipped it on! It’s cold in here, after all.”  
  
Leon would beg to differ.  
  
“Hello, Leon. Maizono, I found your phone over there by the microphones.” Kirigiri coolly spoke, striding over and handing Sayaka her phone, “Leon, I must ask, who was that song for?”  
  
“Huh…? Oh, uh, it was just a cover; I didn’t write it.” Leon defensively responded, drawing his shoulders up.  
  
“I knew that. But you were so invested in the song, and considering the meaning of the lyrics, you must’ve been singing it for someone. Maizono, you must’ve noticed, being a performer yourself.” Kirigiri explained, turning to Sayaka, who just grinned sheepishly and didn’t look Leon in the eye. Leon bit the inside of his cheek and started to sweat.  
  
“Yeah… I had thought that, a little… It was just such a great performance! And that’s the only kind of performance you get when you’re feeling something so strong, you can only get it out in song! Right, Leon?” Sayaka enthusiastically said, choosing to meet Leon’s gaze again, and Leon bristled. He’d rather quit music forever and live the rest of his life as a minor league baseball fuck-up than explain what he felt when he sung that – especially not to these two. So, he panicked.  
  
“How about you two stop interrogating me and mind your own damn business!? It wasn’t meant to be a performance, you two surprised me!” Leon barked, shouldering past Kirigiri and to the edge of the stage. Right as he hopped off the stage and into the aisles, Sayaka came around from backstage, Kirigiri hot on her heels.  
  
“Leon, c’mon! We’re sorry, we’ll drop it; that stuff’s personal, I get it!” She called after him, and he froze there in the middle of the music hall, chewing on his inside lip. Kirigiri remained on the stage, but Sayaka climbed down, and approached Leon. “That was important to you, so we’ll drop it until you’re cool to talk about it.” She consoled, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. “You want to do some karaoke to make up for our nagging?” She hopefully asked.  
  
Leon sighed, “I would love to, but I have things I need to do, actually. Raincheck?” He grinned, watching her light up.  
  
“Raincheck!” She gave him a thumbs up, before whipping around and pointing at Kirigiri, “KYOUKO! You’re doing karaoke with me!” Sayaka cheered, catching Kirigiri completely off guard. Leon smiled at her excited shouting as he left the music hall, steps faltering as a few coughs ripped their way through his body. Two petals, no blood.  
  
Sticking the napkin-wrapped petals in his pocket, trading them out for his phone, he checked the time. 12:30. Mondo should be done with his tutoring at 4 (how was the SHSL Biker Gang Leader supposed to hone his skills in a school? There wasn’t much else he’d be doing, so he studies with Ishimaru), so that gave Leon three and half hours to attempt to catch up on some sleep, and hope that he isn’t woken up by another flower attack.  
  
Huffing, Leon jammed his phone back into his pocket, stalking off towards the dorms, clearing his throat as he went. He didn’t even realize he forgot to ask for his jacket back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the song Leon was playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMJm_97QXHA  
> Fun fact!: The scene of Leon playing the song alone in the music hall was the first scene I came up with for this story!  
>   
> Next Chapter Title: Red Windflowers Pt.1


	3. Red Windflower Part 1

So, sleeping was a no go.  


After being woken up every thirty minutes for almost two hours, Leon gave up and watched some movies instead. It was less frustrating having to pause a movie to go puke a bouquet into the toilet than being rudely forced from his bed to almost not make it to the bathroom.  


Checking the time (Ishimaru’s obsession with punctuality rubs off on you after years of living with him) and downing another pill, Leon headed out of his room and started his quest towards the classroom Ishimaru and Mondo study in. He’d made it before 4 – he fortunately didn’t have to duck into a bathroom on his way there – so he situated himself on the floor to wait for Mondo to finish up. He’d been sitting there on the floor texting Naegi and Chihiro about stupid memes before he realized it was 4:17 and he’d been waiting for Mondo for twenty minutes.  


He stared incredulously at the closed door for a hot second, before huffing and standing, dusting off his actually now dusty pants. Standing in front of the door, his fist was already raised to knock when it swung open, revealing a surprised Ishimaru and a Mondo – who looked like he almost forgot about his and Leon’s plans.  


“Oh, hello, Kuwata!” Ishimaru said brightly, “What do you need?”  


“Uh- nothing, nothing.” Leon waved the question off dismissively, “Just here to get Mondo.” He looked pointedly over Ishimaru’s shoulder to the man in question.  


“Really? Where are you going?” Ishimaru questioned, looking between Leon and Mondo as Mondo strode past him to stand in the hall.  


“We’re gonna go get dinner at McDonalds,” Leon answered, Mondo nodding along, “I’m also picking up my allergy meds, so he’s tagging along.” Leon spared Mondo only a split-second glance, and he appeared to take Leon’s fib in stride, his nodding not stalling for a moment. At the mention of the fast-food place, Ishimaru’s eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed.  


“Very well.” The prefect stared the pair down, “Just make sure that you’re- “  


“Back by curfew.” Leon and Mondo said in perfect synchronicity with Ishimaru. They were lucky this year; they only had to be back inside the walls of Hope’s Peak Academy by 9:00 pm, as opposed to the 7:00pm-lights out rule they suffered under during their first year.  


“Ah-yes… Also, no fighting,” Ishimaru pointed at Mondo, who rolled his eyes but nodded along, “And most importantly, no drinking.” With this rule, he pointed at Leon, who winced at the memory of exactly why that rule is so important.  


Last year, close to the beginning of second year, he’d discovered that if he was drunk, then the Hanahaki hurt less – well, not that it didn’t hurt less, but it helped. He was lucky that Ishimaru is as nosy as he is, or Leon had close to no doubt that he would’ve become an alcoholic; he’s read enough articles about Hanahaki victims drinking themselves to death to be aware of that very real possibility. He was too stupid and too desperate for a reprieve from the pain. That was around the time he’d begun his reliance on suppressants, and he hasn’t drunk a drop of alcohol since. But it didn’t keep Ishimaru from worrying.  


“Alright, we got it, _mom._ ” Leon playfully huffed and started tugging on Mondo’s sleeve, starting his path towards the exit of the school. Ishimaru didn’t spare the nickname a second thought; everyone in their class has called him some variation of ‘mom’ or ‘mother’ over the years (even some people out of class; the Crazy Diamonds have taken a liking to him).  


“We’ll keep talking when I get back, Kyodai!” Mondo grinned and gave Ishimaru a thumbs up, who smiled back and waved them off, starting off in the opposite direction Leon was practically dragging Mondo towards at this point. Once Ishimaru turned the corner and was out of view did Mondo finally give in to Leon’s tugging and started to walk.  


“Stupid… you stood there staring at Ishimaru’s ass for so long, I bet curfew is already here.” Leon huffed. Mondo oh so eloquently responded to Leon’s witty quip by shoving him into a wall.  


“OW- fuckin-!!” Leon bit his tongue and over-dramatically grabbed at his arm. “You could’ve broken my pitching arm, Stupid!”  


“Eh.” Mondo shrugged. “You deserved it. Besides, would you really have been so upset if you couldn’t play baseball – or even attend a practice – for an extended period of time?” Mondo questioned, eyeing Leon. Leon scratched at his chin (injured arm completely forgotten), pretending to think – really contemplate – his surely complex feelings on the matter.  


“Nah.”  


“Yup, that’s what I thought.” Mondo haughtily said, popping the ‘p’. “By the way, where’s your jacket? You lose it or something, like the moron you are?” He vaguely motioned to Leon’s jacket-less body.  


“Hardy har, Stupid. Maizono’s got it.” Leon desperately grasped at an aura of nonchalance, cramming his hands into his pockets, feeling his phone, wallet, and almost-empty bottle of suppressants collide with his fingers. In response to Leon’s pitiful performance, Mondo’s eyes widened, and he cocked up an eyebrow.  


“Hey- she was cold, and I wasn’t wearing it, so she put it on, okay!? I didn’t even know she’d put it on!” Leon argued, hands abandoning their pockets to be frustratedly thrown into the air, “It’s not like I offered it to her or anything! I know what you’re thinking – and it’s not that, alright!?” Leon – flustered – stared straight down the hallway, arms swiftly falling back to his sides.  


Mondo cleared his throat.  


“Hey, what’s that supposed to – oh.” Leon turned angrily towards Mondo, only to find that, no, he was not insinuating that he believed there was more to the story than Leon was letting on, but that he was truly just clearing his throat. Leon’s anger subdued, and he looked away from Mondo, focusing back on their path towards the exit and their suppressants. He’d probably be done in under thirty seconds or so, right?  


… He’s been coughing for a while now. Almost a full minute. That was concerning. So, Leon spared Mondo a sideways glance.  


What began with a simple clearing of the throat had grown into chest-clutching levels of intensity, and while Mondo hasn’t stopped walking, his steps were certainly faltering and unsteady. Leon was lucky he looked over when he did, because Mondo chose this moment to aggressively grab Leon’s shoulder to steady himself with as he almost toppled to the floor – without those seconds of mental preparation, Leon was certain that Mondo would’ve taken the both of them down.  


“Mondo - Mondo!? Holy shit-!” Leon quickly reached out to support Mondo, looking around wildly for somewhere for them to duck into. He could already see the edges of red petals poking from between Mondo’s fingers like blood pearling from an open wound. Oh, and there was blood, too.  


“Shit, shit, shit, shit…!” Leon breathed out, trying to keep the two of them moving. There was no one here, but Leon wasn’t sure it’d stay that way for too much longer. Mondo kept coughing, and this time, a flurry of petals fell from his hand and onto the floor. “Oh shit – Oowada!” Leon whisper-shouted, “Get out a napkin or something! You do have one on ya, right!?”  


Mondo painfully shook his head.  


_“Dammit, Oowada!”_ Leon cursed. It’s fine, they’ll just keep moving, and when Leon finds somewhere to put Mondo, he’ll go pick up the petals. All they needed was somewhere that has something for Mondo to hack the flowers into, but there’s no risk of anyone walking in. Their usual bathroom is too far away; Mondo won’t be able to make it there without collapsing completely. Any of the bathrooms near them now are too risky, they’re for public use and Leon doesn’t want anyone seeing this. Where else could they go?  


_‘The dorms!’_  


Leon’s own room was pretty close by, close enough to bring Mondo to. He’d leave petals and maybe blood everywhere, but he’s already doing that, so might as well do it where it’s easier to hide. And the dorms were soundproof; no one would be able to tell Mondos’ coughing his lungs up in there unless they got in – which they wouldn’t. But how would Leon clean it up without anyone catching him?  


“I… can’t… breathe…” It was quiet – barely more than a whisper, really, But Mondo’s raspy, tortured, desperate tone shook Leon to his core.  


It’s a plan. It’s the only one they’ve got.  


Dragging Mondo’s shaking body down the hall, Leon hoped with all his little flower-constricted heart that Hifumi, Hagakure, and Sakura would graciously choose to not return to their own rooms at this very moment. Luckily, they were in the clear.  


Leon fumbled with the doorknob for a second, struggling to support Mondo with only one arm, before ripping the door open and a bit too aggressively pushing Mondo inside. Foolishly, perhaps Leon assumed that Mondo still had enough strength to walk the maybe five feet to the bathroom, but no. The second Leon slammed the door shut behind him, Mondo fell to his knees, hands abandoning his mouth to grasp and claw at his neck. Petals and blood spilled out of his hands and mouth and onto the floor.  


Although Leon could see his body surge with every assumed cough he made, his mouth agape and gasping for any air it could possibly get, Mondo had fallen completely silent – the petals and blood and whatever crap was stuck in his throat completely muffling his vocal cords. And there was plenty more coming. For a few seconds, the only thing Leon could hear was the hammering of his own heart.  


_“… FUCK!!”_  


Dashing from the door, Leon slid down to Mondo, and did the single stupidest and very last thing he should do in a situation like this; he crammed as much of his hand as he could fit into Mondo’s mouth. Maybe it was the momentary confusion of having a hand in his mouth, but Mondo stilled for a moment. Seizing this second of calm, Leon grabbed onto whatever he could and pulled.  


What came out of Mondo’s mouth was… disgusting, to say the least.  


A small mass – not too much bigger than a ping pong ball, really – was in Leon’s hand. It was comprised of both stray petals and full flowers - and those little bastards weren’t that small, either – fully held together with clots of blood and slim green stems, tying the whole thing together like a demented present. The moment Leon saw that thing, he chucked it across the room. He almost regretted taking it out.  


Then Mondo took in a desperate, shuddering gasp, continuing to cough. Well, if he’s coughing, then he’s breathing – even if just a little bit, and that’s a victory to Leon.  


With that momentary crisis momentarily diverted, Leon quickly stood and pulled Mondo into the bathroom. Once he got Mondo positioned to retch into the toilet instead of the floor, Leon took a few steps back.  


_‘Breathe, Leon.’_ Another step.  


_‘Just breathe.’_ Then another.  


_‘Breathe.’_ The back of his leg hit his bed.  


_‘BREATHE!’_  


But he didn’t. He couldn’t.  


Leon could feel the tightening in his throat - the burning sting of an intrusion in his windpipe – and yet he stood completely frozen, staring at Mondo’s spasming body. He was crying. Leon was also crying. Blinking slowly, Leon stayed frozen next to his bed, the only indication of his awareness of the situation being the small wince that flitted past his facial features whenever Mondo coughed particularly hard.  


It took almost a full minute for Leon to shock back into motion and dive for the trashcan near his desk, coughing up his own nice collection of petals.  


It took maybe another minute for Leon’s own fit to subside, and he situated himself besides Mondo, rubbing his back and trying to tune out the noises coming from his friend.  


It took five minutes for the worst of Mondo’s attack to pass, and he spent almost fifteen more minutes crying and occasionally puking or coughing up more petals.  


It took thirty minutes for both of them to stop shaking.  


Leon has long stopped actively rubbing Mondo’s back, his hand now gently settled on his jacket. But now, his hand tightened into a fist, clutching the fabric underhand, causing Mondo to send Leon a very tired glance. Mondo’s head was still practically inside the toilet, so the action felt nearly herculean in his down-trodden state. Leon was curled into a little ball, leaning against the wall, knees drawn up and head crammed into a little nook his free arm created along with his knees.  


“… should’ve fuckin’ known it was fuckin’ Ishimaru… so fuckin’ obvious…” Leon lowly growled out, but he didn’t move his head to look at Mondo, “I’m so stupid… should have told you…”  


“Kuwata… what the fuck are you talking about…?” Mondo gravely croaked.  


“S’all my fault.” Just like the fist still holding Mondo’s jacket in a death grip, the rest of Leon’s body tightened up – he was almost shaking from the tension.  
“Hey!” Even though it almost made Mondo wat to puke, he rapidly sat up to stare Leon down. As Mondo twisted around to sit more comfortably on the ground, Leon let go of his jacket. “No, it’s not, so shut the fuck up! You’re not the dick I fell in love with-!” Leon cut him off, snapping his head up to meet Mondo’s gaze. In his eyes was a fury fueled by guilt and frustration.  


“No, no I’m not. Because it’s Ishimaru, isn’t it?” His voice was grave, yet strong.  


Mondo fell silent.  


The two sat there on the bathroom floor in total and utter silence, Leon against the wall with his knees drawn close, Mondo weakly slumped against the toilet. Once again, the only thing Leon could hear was his own heartbeat, but this time, it was an ocean in a storm – violently pounding in his head and almost overwhelming him. But he kept Mondo’s gaze, continuing to hold his steely glare, refusing to falter under the weight of Mondo’s own intense glower.  


They continued this silent contest of willpower for nearly a minute. Then, Mondo let his gaze fall for a heartbeat, eyes flicking to a single petal that lay on the ground between the two men: red like Ishimaru’s eyes.  


“DAMMIT!!” Leon shoved himself off the floor, “You’re so goddamn stupid! I’M so goddamn stupid!! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!!” He started to angrily pace around the small bathroom, hitting the heel of his palm to his forehead with every ‘stupid’ he let out. “How could I have not figured it out!? Stupid, stupid, stupid!!”  


“Kuwata, what the FUCK are you talking about!? Calm down!!” Mondo yelled, eyes following Leon as he paced around. Mondo’s objection did nothing to halt Leon, and he continued to hiss under his breath and hit his head. Frantically, Mondo summoned up as much strength as he possibly could and shot his hand out, grabbing Leon by the hem of his shirt, finally catching his attention.  


“Kuwata, if you don’t calm down and talk to me right fuckin’ now, I’ll beat the shit out of you and make you calm down.” Reeling, Mondo emulated as much of his natural intimating aura as he could – being curled up on the floor like child and the slight tremors in his arm didn’t help, though.  


It must’ve been intimidating enough, because Leon lowered his hand from his head – leaving it to nervously clench and unclench at his side – and stopped his pacing.  


“I _can’t_ calm down, Mondo…” Leon choked out, voice weak and quiet.  


“AND WHY NOT!?”  


“BECAUSE YOU COULD’VE DIED, MONDO!!” Leon took a quick and violent step back, wrenching himself out of Mondo’s grip and almost completely exiting the bathroom – now standing in the doorway between the bathroom and his room. He was crying again, but swiftly wiped the growing tear from his eye. “Died…! T-that…” He vaguely gestured towards Mondo, wiping another tear from his other eye, “That’s the kind of thing that gets people killed, Mondo!”  


“What, a fit!? You’ve had plenty of those, and they haven’t killed you!”  


“Mondo, don’t you dare compare this to the normal fits we have throughout the day.” Leon face was pale, and his voice was dark. “You’ve never taken suppressants ever in your life, it’s Hanahaki Season, and you just spent… NINE consecutive hours with Ishimaru – the guy who gave you Hanahaki!! All those things combined usually result in someone dying!”  


Mondo was dead silent.  


“And it’s all my fault!” Leon’s voice cracked.  


“Wait – what?” Mondo looked as if he’d just been slapped.  


“I was the stupid idiot who somehow forgot to bring up one of the most important rules of Hanahaki, and it almost got you killed!! How was I supposed to live with that!? Knowing it’s my fault one of my closest friends died!? All because I didn’t say anything…!” Leon cut himself off with a choked down sob. Pursing his lips, Leon turned away from Mondo to walk further into his room, completely exiting the bathroom, letting tears freely roll down his cheeks.  


For a moment, the only thing that could be heard in the room was Leon’s shaky breathing. He was biting the inside of his lip to keep from crying out loud, hands digging into his thighs from gripping his pants so tightly.  


“… Then tell me now.” Mondo’s determined words cut through Leon’s self-depreciative spiral, spurring him to look back over his shoulder at Mondo – who had picked himself off the floor and was leaning against the doorframe. “Maybe you fucked up in forgetting to tell me this important whatever, but you’ve got your chance now. So, tell me.” In Mondo’s eyes was a determined light that Leon felt pierced him right to his core. Taking a deep breath, Leon blinked the tears from his eyes and straightened his back to look Mondo in the eyes.  


“Okay…” The light in Mondo’s eyes were reflecting in Leon’s. “But we don’t have the time.” Suddenly walking away from Mondo, Leon made a beeline for his desk.  


“Wha- huh?” Mondo stared incredulously after him.  


“I don’t know if you noticed, but you made a real big mess out in the hallway. And since you’re in no condition to be walking around out there, I have to go clean it up before anyone sees the petals and blood you left behind.” Opening the bottom drawer, Leon started to dig into a pile of papers and well-used notebooks – all filled or covered with old song ideas. Mondo hummed in a vague understanding behind him. After selecting an assortment of loose sheets and a notebook with about half the papers ripped out, Leon kicked the drawer shut with his foot, chucking the papers next to the trash can he coughed petals into earlier.  


“What the fuck are you doing?” Mondo watched as Leon slid past him and back into the bathroom to the sink, splashing some cold water on his face. After drying his face off, he then pulled a bottle of eyeliner out of God knows where and started to meticulously apply it.  


“If I’m gonna be walking around out there, then I have to look presentable, don’t I?” Not sparing Mondo a single glance, Leon finished up with the eyeliner, tossing it aside and grabbing two small trash bags out from underneath the sink. Dashing back out of the bathroom, Leon heard something that vaguely sounded like an ‘Oh, yeah, I guess’ come from Mondo as he brushed by him.  


Sitting down next to the defiled trash can, Leon started to crumple and rip up the papers he previously retrieved, stuffing the scraps into one of the trash bags seated near him. As Mondo moved to sit down on Leon’s bed, he marveled at how methodical Leon was at this whole process. It’d been barely minutes since he was seconds away from having a full-on mental and emotional breakdown, but now his whole demeanor changed – Mondo occasionally able to catch him humming along to song Mondo couldn’t quite place. After a few minutes of sitting and ripping, Leon finally noticed Mondo’s starring.  


“Nifty disguise.” He grinned, holding up the trash bag, now maybe half-way filled with papers. Seeing Mondo’s confused look, Leon only grinned further. Setting down the trash bag, he reached into the trash can for the bag filled with petals. After lifting it out of the can and tying more knots than necessary to keep it shut, Leon crammed the petal-filled bag into the bag filled with papers. Once inside, the petal bag had been completely covered by the paper scraps.  


“No one would expect their good buddy Leon of having anything to do with any suspicious petals and blood if he’d been holed up in his room all afternoon trying and failing to write a new song. Works every time...” Smiling proudly, Leon stood, swinging the bag around, walking towards the bed as he did. From his bed, he retrieved his wallet, phone, and suppressants container. As Leon shook a single suppressant out of the plastic tin, Mondo thought back onto how many times he’d seen Leon using the furnace in the trash room, under the guise of that exact excuse. It was a lot of times.  


“Here.” Mondo was snapped out of his reminiscing by Leon handing him a pill. “It’ll help you feel better.” Hearing that, Mondo happily accepted the offering, downing it dry to the minor surprise of Leon.  


“Alright, here’s the plan” Leon started to put his belongings back into his pockets. “Your gonna hang out in here until you feel well enough to walk more than three feet. Then, you’re heading straight to your room and you’re gonna avoid Ishimaru like the plague until I get back.” Turing on his phone, Leon checked the time. 6:30. So long as everything goes well it’ll take him thirty minutes to clean up the petals in the hallway, and maybe an hour to an hour and thirty minutes to get the suppressants – so, two hours in all. He’d be pushing curfew for sure, but Leon was willing to take that risk.  


Leaving Mondo on the bed, Leon swung the bag over his shoulder, heading towards the door. Right as he made it and had his hand on the doorknob, he noticed the puddle of blood and petals Mondo left on the floor when they first got in. It has probably started to stain now, and Leon grimaced at the thought of having to pay the janitor another hundred or so bucks to clean it up and stay quiet or cleaning up the mess himself.  


“Oh shit – sorry about that, man…” Mondo guiltily mumbled as Leon gingerly plucked one petal from the pile. Inspecting it for a quick moment, Leon wrapped it in a napkin and pocketed it.  


“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.” Opening the door and taking a quick glance into the hallway, assuring no one was there, Leon reassured said. “I can get the janitor to give me supplies to clean it up. Just flush the toilet before you leave – if I don’t absolutely have to deal with it, I don’t wanna. I’ll meet you in your room with the suppressants soon. Get some rest.”  


Mondo sharply nodded, humming in acknowledgment. With a final wave over his shoulder, Leon was out the door and down the hall in pursuit of the trash room.  


No matter how much urgency this moment held, Leon fought back his instinct to run – Ishimaru was still under the impression that he and Mondo had left school. So, despite all parts of his body screaming to break into a sprint, Leon stiffly stalked down the hall, trying and miserably failing to appear casual. Although it wasn’t the most direct path towards the trash room, Leon made sure to pass by the areas he could recall Mondo leaving petals and blood – assessing the damage, in a way.  


Leon’s already stiff walking grew a bit shakier as he passed more and more completely clean hallways.  


Someone had already cleaned up after them – he was too late. Sweating and nervously biting his tongue, Leon surmised that this shouldn’t have been much of a surprise – it’d been a rough two hours since he’d gone to get Mondo. It’s pure fantasy and wishful thinking to believe that no one would’ve found the mess – students are constantly walking these halls after all.  


_‘Calm down, Leon. No one suspects you or Oowada… just get rid of the petals and get out!’_  


It was a simple plan; like following the beat of a song. So long as Leon played the right notes at the right time, he could let the overwhelming symphony of everyone else’s lives drown out the in-betweens. No one had to know about the missed cues or off-tune notes, no matter how common they were becoming these days. And now he had to worry about Mondo, too.  


Thinking about music tended to calm Leon down, and it was no different this time. His heart stopped racing, his clenched fists relaxed, and he could breathe more evenly. Thinking more clearly, Leon picked his way through the halls, hearing the ghosts of conversations and echoes of voices drift around him – twisting into a haunting chorus that made a shiver run up his spine.  


So immersed in his musical metaphors, Leon realized a little too late that as he turned the corner to the trash room, he was right about to walk into the back of one Mukuro Ikusaba.  


Now, Leon is not a small guy by any means, but by the way he practically bounced off of her, one could easily compare it to a rubber ball being thrown at a wall. Mukuro stood her ground – barely even flinching – and Leon fell to the floor like a complete clown.  


“Hey! Who the hell – Oh, Kuwata!” Mukuro whipped around, ready to tear whatever bozo collided with her apart, rage simmering when she saw that the bozo was simply Leon. Pulling him to his feet, she nodded towards the bag that had fallen to the ground during their collision, “You okay?” He nodded. “What’s that? Some trash?”  


Swallowing his panic, Leon nodded and picked up the bag. “Yeah – just another song I couldn’t get off the ground… uh, what’s going on here? A party I wasn’t invited to? And here I thought we were friends.” Forcing a grin and looking over Mukuro’s shoulder, Leon took in the scene in front of him. A small gang of his classmates were gathered in or around the entrance to the trash room. As far as Leon could see and hear, Mukuro, Makoto, Togami, Asahina, Touko (or was it Genocide Jack?), and Hagakure were here. And now, him.  


“Aw, man, you just missed it.” It was clear Mukuro was trying to come across melancholic and upset, but the grin that traversed across her face gave her away. “Someone upchucked a whole bouquet of red petals and, like, a whole gallon of blood in the hallway. Took us forever to clean it all up.”  


_‘Shit.’_  


“Ishimaru is hunting down whoever might’ve had the attack – so far the running theory is that it’s some other star-struck first-year loser with a crush on Maizono. It’s always her fault, i-!” Not even bothering to finish her final thought, Mukuro clamped her mouth shut and shot a nervous glance towards the direction of Makoto’s voice – all while the blood that hadn’t already frozen in Leon’s veins started to boil.  


It was an unfairly popular opinion within class 78 that all these odd Hanahaki cases could be attributed towards Sayaka and her idol status. If it weren’t for her and her stardom, all those kids wouldn’t be developing Hanahaki and puking up blood in the halls, apparently. Leon – for one – thinks its bullshit. It’s super trashy and dick-ish to blame the suffering of kids onto one single person who doesn’t deserve it, but then again, Leon doesn’t really have the right to hold the moral high ground here. He’s started a few of the ‘Hopeless First Year’ and ‘Clueless Second Year’ rumors himself – but he never intended for the blame to fall onto Sayaka. So, he’s pretty thankful that Makoto also doesn’t believe any of the ‘Blame Sayaka’ bullshit and helps in standing up for her.  


But not now. He wasn’t here to hear what Mukuro said. So, it falls onto Leon.  


“Seriously, Ikusaba? This crap, agai-!” Right when he opened his mouth, Mukuro had been squinting at him – emotionally unreadable – before her eyes shot open wide and she pulled Leon towards the wall. Kind of tired of being flung around all day, Leon was right about to voice his harshly-worded concerns when he saw – or rather heard – what the cause of Mukuro’s actions was.  


“Kyeeehahaha!” Genocider Jack came sprinting out of the trash room at top speed, her arrival heralded by a chorus of yelling from the people standing around. As she ran by where Mukuro and Leon stood, Leon noticed two things; one, Genocider Jack had ran over where he had just been standing, and if it weren’t for Mukuro, Leons’ sure he would’ve been trampled and two; There was something red falling from Genocider Jack’s clenched fists. For a second, Leon thought it to be blood, but seeing the way it slowly fluttered and drifted to the ground after slipping from between her fingers, Leon figured it to be petals. Mondo’s petals.  


“Genocider Jack, you creep! Get back here!” Yelling after the murderous fiend was Asahina, who came running down the hall after Genocider Jack. “Those aren’t yours, freak!”  


“You’ll hafta catch me first, Yaoi Aoi!” Cackling, she continued her descent deeper into the halls of Hope’s Peak, prancing along almost playfully as Asahina chased after her. After a heartbeat, their footsteps (and yelling and laughter) eventually faded into silence. Everyone in the surrounding area had also fell silent, the smothering quiet finally broken when Byakuya emerged from the trash room, heels clicking on the floor. He strode over to where Mukuro and Leon stood, gaze never faltering from staring down the hall.  


“Foul beast… Kuwata.” He barked out, and Leon felt his body tense up. “I suggest you dispose of that now, or you’ll start stinking this place up worse than that… thing already has.” Never once sparing either Leon or Mukuro a single glance, Byakuya continued his walk down the hall, hands gently clasped behind his back.  


“Prick…” Mukuro snarled as she and Leon stepped away from the wall. “Seriously, what does Naegi see in him? He’s just a pretentious asshole.”  


“Well…” Leon smirked and shrugged, “He’s rich?”  


Laughing a high-pitched and gentle laugh that seemed unnatural coming from someone labeled the Ultimate Soldier, Mukuro shoved Leon by the shoulder to the open door of the trash room. “Go throw your garbage away, fool. They’ll be closing up soon.” Her chuckling fading away, she nodded towards the trash room and adjacent hallway, where Leon could see Makoto waiting for Mukuro, “I’ll see ya later, Kuwata.” Waving over her shoulder, she joined Makoto and they headed down the hall together, speaking in hushed whispers with the odd giggle sprinkled in.  


Leon has long outgrown being jealous of his classmates.  


At this point, everyone else must’ve left – aside from Asahina, who will probably be returning soon to return the stolen petals – so Leon should have no trouble disposing of the petals he’s sure is burning a hole in the plastic bag by now.  


Except trouble does await Leon within the trash room, and her name is Kyouko Kirigiri. Right as Leon steps in the doorway, he sees her staring blankly into the flames of the furnace - which are just barely flickering in and out of view over the lip of the metal contraption – idly swinging a key ring around one finger. Leon halts mid step and his breath catches in his throat. Outside of Sayaka and Ishimaru, Kirigiri is the absolute last person Leon wants to deal with right now – especially alone. She’s too… aware for Leon’s taste. But it’s alright, he’ll just wait outside until Asahina got back and they could go in together and –  


“Oh, hello, Kuwata.”  


Leon fought the urge to swear out loud. Or was it puke that he could feel rising in his throat? Whatever it was, he shoved it back down and tried to adopt a composed expression – one that says “There is no way my life could possibly be falling apart around me. I am also not literally one cough away from having a panic attack right here, right now.” And he had just calmed himself down from a panic attack five minutes earlier, too.  


“Another failed attempt at a song, I presume?”  


“Huh?” Leon stared dumbly at her before he realized she had been looking down at the bag in his hand, “Oh, uh, yeah. Er… what are you doing here? Ikusaba and Naegi already left, and I thought Hagakure was trash guy this week…” Hagakure was easy. Hagakure wasn’t the most observant or as sharp as a steel trap – all of which Kirigiri was. Leon doesn’t entirely like Kirigiri right now.  


“Oh, he is. He just wanted to return to his room earlier, so he asked me to stay behind and close up.”  


“Stupid Hagakure…”  


“What was that?”  


“Nothing!”  


“… Aren’t you going to throw that away?”  
“Jeez, I am! Don’t be so pushy…” Leon grumbled, taking hesitant steps forward, feeling Kirigiri’s stare burn two holes in his head. Walking maybe fifteen more feet, and Leon swung the bag out of his hand and into the waiting mouth of the furnace. As the papers – and petals – caught flame and turned to ash, Leon spared a moment to watch the speckles of soot flutter above the flames, before inevitably sinking back into the raging heat. Fitting.  


“I spoke to the SHSL Florist earlier.” Kirigiri voice pierced Leon’s thoughts, but something was off. Her tone was cold, sharp, and very accurate. She’s was trying to prove a point here – although Leon isn’t entirely sure what point, exactly.  


“Huh?”  


“They said the petals belonged to the Red Windflower.”  


“… And?” Leon fought to keep his gaze relaxed and on Kirigiri. This girl could spot a tell from miles away, and Leon was not going to let her get to him – or Mondo.  


“That’s a new kind of flower breed. We haven’t encountered it before. That means whoever was the culprit in today’s… incident must’ve recently garnered Hanahaki.”  


Leon bristled, “Or, ya know, they could’ve just been hiding really well and slipped up today. You never know…”  


“I suppose you’re right. We never really do know, now do we?” She narrowed her eyes at him, the roaring fire reflecting in her violet eyes, effectively freezing Leon with her stare.  


This wouldn’t be the first time Leon was positive Kirigiri was just going to come out and diagnose him with Hanahaki on the spot. The first time it happened, he’d ended the interaction being escorted to the infirmary under the notion of an intense panic attack. He blamed it on stress at the time, and he wasn’t wrong, was he? But he’s more used to it now, so he’s able to stand his ground and meet her eyes. He could feel the heat from the furnace on his back and the occasional plume of hot air billowed out, rustling his hair – he’s sure anyone more poetic than Kirigiri would appreciate the sight – but as the heat grew and he could feel the pearls of sweat beading under his loose shirt, Kirigiri’s cold eyes narrowed just a hint, and he felt a chill run up his spine.  


The stare down could’ve continued for hours – Leons’ sure of it – but Leon was spared from that fate when Asahina breathlessly ran into the room, clenched fist with red petals held triumphantly over her head.  


“I… I got the petals back…! Whoo… God, I keep forgetting how fast she is… oh!” She looked awkwardly between the two standing in the room. “Am I… interrupting something?”  


“No.” In an instant, Kirigiri’s eyes softened and a slight smile was on her face like it had always been there, “Leon was just throwing some papers away. Go ahead and burn those last petals, then we can leave.”  


“Alright…” Still sensing the tension in the room, Asahina stiffly marched over to the furnace, depositing a good six to nine petals into the roaring flame. Uncertainly glancing back over her shoulder towards Leon and Kirigiri, she made a hesitant start back towards the door. As she slowly passed the two, they both joined her towards the door, but right as they walked from the trash room to the hallway, Asahina made a quick escape, saying something about Sakura and running off.  


“Hm.” Kirigiri squinted after their classmate’s departing figure, interrupting Leon’s grumbling about ‘traitorous, abandoning, jerks’. “Well, I have to go, as well. Kuwata, think about what I said. And ask Maizono about this new Hanahaki case, would you?” Not even giving Leon the decency to stick around and feel the full force of his glower, Kirigiri gracefully turned and paced down the hallway, pale lavender hair gently flowing behind her.  


There has never been more of a moment that Leon has wanted to swing a Baseball Bat into someone's teeth more than now. But he doesn't have time to entertain the thought, because he needs to get the hell out of this school. Now glaring at nothing in particular, Leon stalked down the hall towards the door, hands clenched and shaking by his side.  


As he approached the end of the hall, he forced himself to calm down and become more aware of his surroundings. As far as Ishimaru knew, he and Leon were still out getting dinner, so he can’t risk any accidental meet ups with the hall monitor. Leon’s gotten pretty good at lying out of his ass over the years, but it still makes his heart race – especially when lying to his friends.  


It shouldn’t be too long of a walk, and Hope's Peak was a big school, anyways. What was the chance Ishimaru would be walking by at that moment?  


Very high, apparently.  


Leon almost walked straight into a conversation Ishimaru was having with – what Leon could hear – was some small group of second years. He was almost at the Main Hall, too.  


_‘Of all the places to interrogate people, Ishimaru, you chose here? NOW!?’_  


Thankfully, Ishimaru’s back was to Leon, so as long as Leon had good faith in these girls to 1.) not act surprised as he ran like his life depended on it to the doors and 2.) not tell Ishimaru about someone running in the halls, he could maybe make it.  


Leon didn’t like the sound of those odds, so he resigned himself to sitting around this corner, waiting for their conversation to end, and pray that Ishimaru didn’t choose to leave this way.  


Using a trick he'd learned from a boy a year ahead of him whose name Leon forgets – but he does remember that he possessed striking Bubblegum Pink hair - he switched on the camera app on his phone, turning it to selfie mode. Then, using this makeshift mirror, he used it to be able to peer around the corner at Ishimaru and the maybe three girls. The reason this boy knew said trick, Leon doesn't care to think about. Leon just hoped that no one would walk by and ask him what he’s doing.  


It took them another maybe five minutes to finish up, and it was some of the five most boring yet infuriating moments of Leon's life. From his vantage point, he couldn't make out what they were saying, so he couldn't even stress over if they were talking about him or not. He could make an educated guess, though, from the way the girls glanced at each other and listened very attentively to Ishimaru – who was using his “Listen to Me Because I’m Telling You Something Monumentally Important” voice. Using that and considering the recent activities of this evening, it didn’t take the SHSL Detective to reason that Ishimaru was asking them about the flowers. All the more reason for Leon to stay out of sight, then.  


Finally finishing up, the girls pointed Ishimaru in the direction of the stairwell opposite of where Leon was sitting – thank goodness – and headed off to who-knows-where whispering among themselves. As Ishimaru rounded the corner and started up the stairs, Leon slipped his phone away and – not before checking the immediate area for anyone who would find him suspicious – made a dash for the Main Hall.  


Leon is pretty light on his feet – years of constant sprint drills and needing to turn directions on a dime will do that to you – able to easily make it to and through the Main Hall quickly and silently. Arm resting against the door, Leon snuck a quick look at the time. 6:50. He was making good time – ten minutes earlier than he anticipated to be leaving school. Not needing to clean up the petals and blood certainly helped, but even with this extra time, Leon can’t afford to stall.  


Pushing the large doors open, Leon winced at the groaning of the old hinges. Ishimaru lives under the delusion he left hours ago, and to be caught now would be game over. Giving his head a hard shake, Leon tried to clear his thoughts. Ishimaru was heading upstairs, and once Leon was outside, he’d be safe. He was overreacting, and also needed to focus. Get to the pharmacy, get dinner, and get back to school before 9:00. Easy. Not a problem. Besides, when he was outside, no one gave him a single thought outside of him being good at baseball. Disappointing, but a good reprieve from the people who insist on getting in his business – like Kirigiri or Ishimaru.  


With one more good push, the door swung open, exposing Leon to the final minutes of sunset, the stars already being visible in the sky. Chilled wind blew through the open door, the scent of pollen and sounds of the city washing over Leon like a wave. Not a moment later, the smell of sickly-sweet pollen faded into the sterile air of Hope’s Peak Academy, the sounds of bustling city life were muffled once again by heavy wooden doors, and Leon was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for sticking with me during this long wait between chapters! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!  
> Love y'all!


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